What Goes Around
by breezygirl
Summary: Stephanie learns actions speak louder than words.
1. Chapter 1

**What Goes Around**

_JE owns the characters._

Chapter One

So here I sit outside the Vincent Plum Bonds Office in my new, old, 2004 Honda Civic. I used to have a cute little Mini Cooper but that's another story. I need to head inside so I can collect on some bond receipts but Connie and Lula are in there. Plus there is a shinny black Porsche parked down the street which means Ranger is also inside and I definitely don't want to see him. I know as soon as walk through that door I will get grilled about what happened last week. In fact I'm guessing the whole Burg is wondering. My mother is most likely ironing right now. My love life has always been a hot topic in the Burg. It started when I had my first sexual encounter behind the counter at the Tasty Pastry, continued with my divorce from my cheating ex-husband Dickie Orr and now everyone seems to think it's their business to know exactly where and with whom I spend my nights.

This is different. I just went away for a week with one of the hottest, sexiest men in Trenton. He showed up at my apartment, told me to pack a bag and off we went. We stayed at a bed and breakfast in Martha's Vineyard, It was amazing and let me just say that this was my first visit and I still don't know much about the place because we never left the room except to eat and let the maids change the sheets. We got back two days ago and I've been recuperating ever since. I mean even a sex goddess needs time to start walking again. He went back to work the day after we got home and told me the guys gave him a hard time about the whole "going away" thing. So I knew as soon as I set foot in the bonds office I was going to be asked all kinds of questions I didn't want to answer. I decided I'd take the coward's way out and leave before anyone saw me. I was about to take off when

there was a knock at my window that startled me so much I almost wet my pants. I looked up to see Ranger standing there.

"You just have to do that don't you?" I said.

The corners of his mouth turned up, "It's my job" he responded.

"Are you going to sit out here all day?" He asked.

"No! I'm going in" I growled back.

By this time Lula was watching from the office door. "Get your skinny white ass in here before I come over there and drag you outta that car; we are dying to know where you were and who you were doing!"

Lula is not a subtle person.

I looked at Ranger; he just gave me one of those infuriating grins and I accused, "You told them I was out here!"

"Babe" was all he said and then he was gone.

"So give it up girlfriend." Lula ordered.

"It must have been good she can hardly sit down." Connie added.

"Okay, okay I'll tell you. Joe and I had a big fight, he said some things then I said some things; it wasn't pretty. I thought maybe we had broken up."

"Damn girl! That's why you were hiding out in your car; you snuck off with Ranger and didn't want Officer Hottie to know about it!"

"_No_, can I finish please? _Joe_ showed up at my door with this trip idea, just the two of us, to clear the air, to make up, so off we went."

"We didn't know what had happened to you. You're not knocked up; you two didn't get married or anything like that cause those are the rumors going around." Lula was too happy to tell me.

"Again _No_ we just went away for some alone time!"

"Well good," Lula huffed "cause that kinda shit you gotta tell us about first, I don't wanna be hearin' about it at the Shop and Bag."

Great, my mother is going to be ironing for the next month, my phone will be ringing off the hook and Grandma Bella is going to put the eye on me. Not to mention the fact that Joe and I are supposed to have dinner with my parents tonight and go to his nephew's birthday party tomorrow.

I left the bonds office, checks in hand, after a few more pointed questions from Lula which I refused to answer. I needed to cash them but didn't want to deal with any Burg gossips I might run into; instead I went to Joe's house. I had plenty of time before dinner; Joe was still at work and I didn't have to answer the phone here. Plus I got to see Bob. I couldn't believe how much I missed him while we were gone. We went for a nice long walk, watched some TV, had a snack of leftover Chinese, took a nap and then I started a shower. I needed to be my most presentable tonight in front of my mother who will most likely give me the "why me" speech. Joe, of course, chose that moment to get home; the shower lasted a lot longer than I had planned. I just hope Grandma Mazur doesn't have the same 'Morelli induced orgasm radar' Lula does.

We arrived at my parent's house right at six. As my luck would have it my sister Valerie, her three girls and husband Albert were also there. Pulling up to the curb I noticed not only my mother and grandma waiting at the door but also Val.

I looked at Joe, "We're doomed."

"Yeah but think of all the fun we had getting here!"

"You think this is funny!" I started to get mad.

Joe reached over and took my hands in his. "No but if we go in there all defensive it will just add fuel to the fire. We didn't do anything wrong Cupcake."

Then he kissed me right there for my family and a few neighbors to see. I started getting butterflies in all the right places. If Joe's cop car had tinted windows I would have climbed on his lap and repeated what had just happened in the shower.

The usual fanfare took place before dinner. My father was already in his seat. Ma and Grandma were loading the food on the table and Val was rushing around trying to get her girls in their chairs. Albert was holding a screaming Lisa who was getting more and more worked up by the minute. Joe walked over, calmly took her from Albert, held her close and whispered into her tiny ear. Within seconds she quieted down, smiled up at Joe and started making soft cooing noises at him. I guess the Morelli charm works on women of all ages.

Finally the table was set, we were all in our places and the food was being served. Ma hadn't said a word to Joe or me and Grandma kept looking at us with a shifty grin on her face. That couldn't be good. Valerie was trying her best to make small talk but we could all feel the tension radiating from Ma.

Finally Grandma couldn't hold it in any longer.

"So do you have a bun in the oven like your sister, did you two get married or was it just a week of hot monkey sex."

The whole table went silent. My father's hand tightened around his knife as he turned to Joe.

"You better think real hard before you answer that question Morelli." My father warned.

Joe didn't miss a beat, "How about none of the above. We simply enjoyed some sightseeing in Martha's Vineyard."

Grandma wasn't fazed, "So you two didn't hit the sheets the whole time you were there."

Mary Alice piped in, "Why would you hit the sheets and what is hot monkey sex?"

Next it was Angie's turn, "We are learning about sex in health class but we talk about people not monkeys. How can people have monkey sex?"

Before anyone could even think of how to answer any of those questions Joe's cell phone rang. He excused himself from the table to take the call in the kitchen. When he returned his cop face was firmly in place. This can't be good I thought.

"Everything okay?" I asked.

"I need to meet up with the Prosecutor who's handling the Cruz/Martel case. The trial date has been moved up so we need to go over my testimony." Joe answered.

This got Grandma going again, "Is this the big drug case you went undercover for in February? I saw that lawyer on TV, she's really something. I didn't know lawyers looked like that."

"What does she look like?" Albert asked.

"Like someone I wouldn't want my boyfriend going to see late at night." Valerie added, eyes narrowed at Joe.

Grandma jumped right in, "You sure this is about your case, I heard at the beauty parlor that you two have worked together before. And that it was real friendly. I also heard her boobs are fake, just like Terry Gilman's." At this point my blood pressure started to rise.

"Wow Joe, you know lot's of women with fake boobs, that's really neat! How can you tell?" Albert asked, "Do they feel different, do you like the fake ones better?" Valerie smacked Albert on the back of the head.

I shot daggers at Joe and he had the nerve to grin at me.

"Nothing can beat the real thing Albert!" With that, he thanked my mother for a wonderful meal, kissed me on the forehead and headed out the door.

Once Joe was gone things calmed down a little. We finished dinner. I helped Val clean up and then we served dessert. I soon realized that I had no way to get home. I had ridden here with Joe. Val's car was full so I was either going to ask my dad for a ride or walk. I knew if I asked for a ride it would open the whole "you killed another car" discussion so I thought maybe it would be best if I walked.

Before I could slip out Ma asked how I planned to get home so late at night carrying a bag of leftovers and of course dessert for Joe. I swear the guy could do no wrong in the eyes of my mother. Such a change from when we were kids. Oh well, I guess if we ever break up I better find a new place for home cooked meals cause I think Joe would be more welcomed here than me.

"I can walk, it's a nice night and it's not that far." I told her.

"You could call Joseph, I'm sure he is finished with that lawyer by now." Ma said.

"Too bad you don't have your own car here; then you could go back to your apartment instead of waiting around for Joe. Val offered still fuming over Albert's implant enthusiasm.

What exactly are you driving now?" my mother asked.

Before I could answer my dad added his two cents worth.

"Your never listen to me, I keep telling you to by American but you just have to go with those foreign heaps that just keep giving you trouble."

"This time it really wasn't my fault!"

A while back when the crime business was good, I bought this cute little Mini-Cooper. But then bounty hunting got slow and I got behind on my car payments. The bank turned my account over to a collection company and I started getting those nasty payment due letters in the mail. Joe offered to help me out with a loan just until things got better. After a few arguments about borrowing money and stubborn Italian pride I decided to take him up on the offer. I really didn't want to lose my car. We went down to the bank, paid off my loan, had dinner at Pino's to celebrate, then went to Joe's house.

The next morning Joe went to work and I slept in. Celebrating with Joe usually leaves me in a satisfied stupor. Just as I was finishing a late breakfast with Bob I got a call from Joe. He sounded amused and annoyed at the same time. Apparently the collection agency and the bank got their signals crossed. The repo guy came to Joe's while I was sleeping, took my car, then ran a red light and was hit by a Tasty Pastry delivery truck. The Mini was totaled.

"I'm driving a Honda." I told Ma. "And it's very nice; I haven't had any trouble with it." I added, making a face at my dad.

The front door opened and Joe walked in, "Did I miss dessert"

"How was your meeting?" I asked.

"Fine, and thankfully short, so about dessert?'"

I could tell Joe didn't want to talk about it, his cop face was firmly planted and I thought the best thing to do was get him out of my family's three ring circus.

"It's all packed up. We can head home and you can have it there. I'm sure Bob is ready for us to be home. He hates when we leave him too long." I replyed.

Joe looked relieved.

We said our goodbyes, took our bag of food and headed out.

"I can't talk about it." Joe stated as soon as we got in the car.

"Okay, I won't even ask."

"Thanks" Joe said. We drove to his house in comfortable silence, had dessert then took Bob for a walk. It must have been a stressful meeting cause Joe didn't waste any time getting us to bed. I guess I'll be sleeping in again tomorrow.


	2. Chapter 2

_JE owns the characters. I'm just having fun with them. _

**Chapter Two**

The last few weeks have been hard on Joe. He's working homicide now and caught a tough case. Some crazy moron is targeting old ladies unlucky enough to be out alone after dark. He drags them into an alley, stabs them and then runs off with their pocketbooks. Unfortunately he attacks from behind and never speaks making it impossible to get a description. This has hit the Burg hard so the pressure is on for the police to find this guy. Three of his victims have died; the press is calling him the "Granny Killer". Joe is working almost around the clock to solve this one.

On top of that, Joe is also still in the middle of the Cruz/Martell trial. These scumbags are gun running, wanna be gangsters. While their crime spree started in NY, they were arrested in NJ. Both states want to send a message that crimes such as these will not be taken lightly. In an effort to do this New York has sent Rebecca Hampton, a lead prosecutor from the New York State Attorney Generals Office to head the case. Marty Egloff, a New Jersey assistant district attorney is acting as second. New York gets the lead since they have been gathering information on these guys for months. The trial is taking place in New Jersey because Joe's undercover team was able to collect enough evidence to nail them.

I am so proud of Joe. He worked really hard for this. The only problem is Victor Cruz and Sam Martell hired some very slick lawyers. The media is involved, tensions are running high and the outcome of what should be an open and shut case is now unclear. Joe has been called back four times to testify and he's about at his wits end. I have to admit though I do enjoy the way he releases all that built up stress!

I woke up this morning to a beautiful spring day, perfect for my new outfit from Macy's. I dressed in a clingy robin's egg blue v-neck tee and a short, swishy navy blue plaid skirt. I'm not much for plaid but it works with the tee and especially with my new strappy navy sandals. Not to mention, I hope to run into Joe at the courthouse. He got called in on the "Granny Killer" case last night and I didn't get to see him.

Lula and I spent the better part of the morning rebonding several of our regular skips. We've devised a plan where we borrow Val's mini-van, arrange pickup times and drive everyone to the courthouse. Business was good today so we decided to celebrate. We treated ourselves to lunch at the deli on the corner of Adams and Third.

"We did good this morning; I bet we pulled in a few hundred each. Not bad for a skinny white girl and a full figured black woman. This is a better days work than when I was a ho! Watta we got after lunch?" Lula asked.

"Just Mooner, the judge told him if he doesn't show up this time the court is jailing him and throwing away the key."

As we sat down with our sandwiches, chips and drinks my cell rang. I answered it with a smile, "Hey Joe."

Lula rolled her eyes.

"I'm having lunch with … How did you …Okay I'll see you in five."

"He knows where we are? How?! Lula asked.

"He saw us at the courthouse when we dropped off our skips; he figured we'd get something to eat next so he guessed what I might be hungry for."

"Damn! He's good and unlike Ranger he doesn't need fancy equipment to find you just some freaky spider sense."

"Hey, I'm the one with the spider sense."

"Well you might want to work on that cause one fine assed cop is not 'five away'. He's right here and he's looking for you! Damn girl, I think I'm having a hot flash; I thought he filled out a pair of jeans right but in a suit he's just way to fine. It should be illegal for a man to look that good; he could cause a woman to spontaneously combust!" Lula declared.

I turned around and watched Joe walk toward us. He was wearing a dark suit with a blue shirt and a dark tie. He was clean shaven, his hair was curling around his ears and he looked good enough to eat. He was smiling at me and I thought I might melt off the chair and onto the floor. Lula was right about the whole spontaneously combusting. Suddenly I wasn't hungry for subs anymore. Damn this man has an effect on me!

"Hey Cupcake, can I talk to you for a minute?"

As he said this he wasn't looking at me but at Lula. He grinned and winked at her. She practically swooned and waved me away like yesterday's news. Joe slipped an arm around my waist and guided me to the back room. Joe pinned me against the wall then started kissing me.

Between bone melting kisses he asked,

"All your apprehensions go okay?

Joe's hands started to travel across my body. His lips were moving up and down my neck. My mind seemed to slow down while my body started to heat up.

"No trouble at all."

I couldn't help myself; I pulled Joe's face to mine and kissed him with lots of tongue. He reached down and grabbed my legs wrapping them around his waist. Joe lifted my skirt to play with the lacy thong I was wearing. It was easy work for him to move it aside. Before I knew it his fingers were inside me doing all the right things, in all the right places.

"I like when you wear these." He breathed against my lips.

"I think I'll wear them more often." I moaned. The pressure was building, I was so close but I wanted to feel Joe inside me.

"Please Joe" was all it took; he backed off enough for me to undo his belt, button and zipper letting his pants drop. Just as he was entering me I panicked,

"What if Lula comes to find me?

"She can take pictures," In an instant Joe was hitting THAT spot and I didn't care who saw us. I just closed my eyes and let a wonderful Morelli induced orgasm overtake me.

Afterwards Joe held me close, waiting for me to come down from my release. He kissed my shoulder.

"You okay?" He asked softly.

"Yea" I answered as I relished in his touch.

He rested his forehead on top of my head, took a deep breath and said,

"I didn't mean to attack you, it's just with all the pressure lately and seeing you in this sexy number I couldn't help myself."

"Joe, you never have to apologize to me. How about I come over tonight, we'll order Pino's and watch a game on TV?"

Joe smiled and gently kissed me, "Okay, as long as you don't mind if I attack you again."

"I'm counting on it!" I smiled back at him.


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter Three**

_Janet Evanovich owns the characters. Takes place after Twelve Sharp._

After what seemed like forever, the big trial was over; the jury reached a verdict. Both Victor Cruz and Sam Martell were convicted. The press ate it up; Rebecca Hampton and her star witness, Joe Morelli, were all over the news. People couldn't get enough of the cover girl attorney and the movie star handsome police officer.

Joe was thrilled. "Cupcake, we're celebrating tonight; I'll pick you up at seven!" When I heard his message on my cell I got warm and tingly in all the right places. I liked the way Joe celebrated!

Things have been going great between Joe and me. I've been spending so many nights at Joe's house he finally bought an extra dresser just for my clothes. However there is one catch to our progress and his name is Ranger Manoso. Never before have two totally hot guys wanted me so much. It's gone to my head; I've allowed myself to equate love with lust. I need to stop stringing these guys along, especially Joe, and choose between them.

Ranger really gets to me. When I'm close to him my brain turns to mush; I can't seem to control myself. He enjoys watching me do my job. On the flip side, if it suits his purpose, he's got no problem putting me in danger. He can also be a little too controlling considering he's so unwilling to commit to a real relationship. To be honest, I think Ranger was very serious about me being nothing more than an amusing form of entertainment and a tax write off on his expense account.

Joe is mouth watering sexy and around him it's not just my brain that's affected. He worries about my safety when it comes to my job but he has my back when I ask for help. He loves me for who I am not what he gets from me. Joe's there any time I need him but he's willing to give me space if I need that. Plus, Joe truly enjoys spending time with my kooky family; in fact, he genuinely cares about them. I also really like how he takes such good care of Bob and Rex.

When I imagine my future, I see Joe. I picture us spending our lives together, sharing family dinners and walking Bob in the park. I imagine us growing old together in Joe's house with Aunt Rose's curtains at the windows and a cookie jar on the counter. What I don't see is Ranger even trying to understand those are parts of my life that help define who I am.

Joe knows I love him even if I have a hard time saying the words but tonight I was going to change that. Tomorrow I would tell Ranger to back off. So this evening called for a new outfit. I headed to Macy's and bought new shoes and a new dress. The dress was red with a low cut back and a short swishy skirt. I remembered how much Joe liked my last swishy skirt! The shoes I found were perfect for the dress. Next I headed to Victoria's Secret for a little something to wear underneath. I rushed home to get changed for the evening.

I took a shower, spent way too much time on my hair and make-up and boy did I feel like a hundred bucks! Tonight was going to be amazing. I was not only going to tell Joe but show him exactly how I felt. I opened the bathroom door and ran smack dab into Ranger.

"Ranger, what are you doing here?" I stammered, pulling my robe tighter around me.

"I went by the bonds office; I hear you took the Leo Scarlatti file."

"Yeah, I did, is that a problem?" I asked.

"You do know he's high risk; he might give you some trouble. We could make a deal, I could help you out." Ranger said as he tried to pull me close.

"I've got Lula to back me up, we'll be fine." I told him backing away.

"I think our last deal worked out pretty well." The corners of his mouth turned up.

"And that's what it was, our last and only deal. There won't be any more. And there won't be any more poaching Ranger." I said firmly.

"Babe" he whispered as he drew me to him. He kissed me full on the lips as he opened my bathrobe. My body reacted even though my mind protested.

"Ranger, let me go." I weakly responded.

"That's not what you really want is it?" Ranger replied.

He started kissing my neck, dropping my robe from my shoulders to my elbows, letting his hands roam over my body.

I needed to take a stand, let him know I was serious, so I pushed away from him, "Joe will be here any minute!"

"Don't stop on my account." My heart is what stopped; no, it pounded so hard I wished it would stop.

"Joe, it's not what you think"

"I think you're half naked and being fondled by someone that's not me." Joe plainly stated.

"I can explain" was my sorry excuse as I pulled my robe closed.

"Maybe you should give her a minute." Ranger said.

"Maybe you should keep quiet." Joe said narrowing his eyes at Ranger.

As I covered myself I moved toward Joe but he stepped back, a look of disgust on his face.

"Please Joe" was all I could manage before he shook his head and started to turn toward the door.

Ranger, crossing his arms over his chest, closed in on Joe.

"So that's it, you're not even going to put up a fight; you're that afraid you'll loose."

Joe, with eyes as cold and hard as steel, looked directly at me; "I don't see anything here worth fighting for."

With that he walked out. I started to go after him but Ranger stopped me.

"I don't think so" Ranger said.

"Let me go!" I yelled at him while trying to pull away.

"Why are you so upset? This is what you wanted." Ranger said to me.

"Are you serious?" was my reply.

"Come on Babe, you've been dancing around with Morelli a long time. I get he was your first so you have this thing for him. But you also have a thing for me and you've been too afraid to tell him. You should be relieved, now he knows, so everything's settled."

"What is wrong with you, did you see the look on Joe's face? This isn't what I want; I told you earlier, I don't expect anything more from you and you're not getting anything more from me. That's the only thing settled here mister 'I don't do relationships'; mister 'you're a line item on my expense account'. I've been so stupid; what the hell have I been thinking? I need to fix this."

By now I was talking more to myself than Ranger. I needed to find Joe, explain things and beg him to forgive me. I rushed into my bedroom slamming the door behind me, grabbed the clothes I'd been wearing earlier and dressed. I raced out of my bedroom, Ranger's presence forgotten. All I was thinking about was the look on Joe's face. I snatched up my keys and pocketbook and headed for the door to once again be stopped by Ranger.

"I don't have time for this Ranger. I'm leaving and you're not gonna stop me." I told him.

Ranger stared at me for a minute. "I'll be in touch." Then he was gone.

I drove to Joe's house; he wasn't there. I tried Pino's, his mother's, Mooches', some of Joe's friend's houses and a few of the bars where he used to hang out. I checked my parent's house and the station. I even drove by Terri Gilman's praying he wasn't there. I was too chicken to ask anyone upfront if they had seen him so I just drove around looking for his truck. If he was still in Trenton I couldn't find him. I headed back to his house. Several hours went by with no sign of Joe. I walked Bob, changed the sheets, did the laundry and cleaned the bathroom. Still no Joe. I vacuumed the carpets, cleaned out the fridge and ironed all of Joe's shirts. Finally I fell asleep on top of the bedcovers. Just as the sun was coming up, the sound of the front door closing woke me and I heard heavy footsteps on the stairs. Joe was finally home; I sat up waiting for him. My palms were sweating, my mouth was dry and my hands were shaking.

Joe stopped in the doorway, he looked tired, he was still wearing his suit from last night only his shirt was rumpled and his tie was hanging out of his jacket pocket.

"Leave." Was all he said.

"Joe, we need to talk. Please let me explain." My voice trembled.

"Are you sleeping with him?" Joe quietly asked.

"No." I stammered.

Joe held my eyes with his, "Tell me the truth."

Tears welled up and my mouth stumbled over the words, "Just once."

"Shit!" Joe's hands covered his face, ran through his hair and clenched at the back of his neck.

"It was after we broke up; I didn't think you wanted to get back together; you told me there was no more us." I blurted out. "That's the only time, I swear Joe."

Joe stood staring down at the floor, after what seemed like forever, he raised his head. With his eyes closed he took a long deep breath. Finally he looked at me; there was no trace of emotion on his face or in his voice.

"Then what was last night? You stopped because you knew I was on my way over; what if I hadn't come in; would you still be able to tell me you'd only slept with him once? I've heard all the rumors about you and Ranger but I trusted you, guess I was wrong."

By now Joe had dropped his jacket on the chair and kicked his shoes off.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean for you to find out like this." I felt sick; his words hit hard; once they might have been true.

"Oh, so you're not sorry about what you did just that I found out." This time his tone was stone cold.

"That's not what I meant. Right before you walked in I told Ranger from now on I wanted him to leave me alone."

"So this has happened before?!" Joe exclaimed. He ripped his dress shirt off sending buttons flying everywhere.

Damnit, this was coming out all wrong. "I'm so sorry Joe, it will never happen again, I swear!" Please forgive me, I love you, Joe!"

"And last night was your way of showing me how much you love me? Thanks, it's a moment I'll cherish." Sarcasm laced his voice.

Joe grabbed some fresh clothes and headed toward the bathroom. "I have to go to work."

I picked Joe's shirt up off the floor, it smelled like stale alcohol, cigarette smoke and cheap perfume. My contrition was replaced with anger. I stormed after him and threw open the bathroom door.

"We have a fight, you go home with some bar tramp and then you make me feel like a big slime ball! You're a pig Joe Morelli." I accused.

"You are unbelievable!" Joe shouted back. "Rita Zedaler was attacked by the Granny Killer last night. I went to The Blue Moon Bar where her daughter Lizzie works and told her about the attack. Then I drove her to the hospital and sat with her while Rita was in surgery." I am so sorry my night didn't live up to your guilty conscious's imagination. Now I'm going to take a shower. Do not be here when I get out."


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter Four**

Standing at the stove, mindlessly spooning mashed potatoes into a bowl, I watched Ma dishing up fried chicken and listened as Val helped the girls set the table. Everyone else was in the living room watching TV. My family occasionally gives me an eye twitch but there is something comforting about the security of home.

Growing up, I spent many an hour here in the kitchen with my mother. She doesn't always approve of the things I do but she's always been there for me when it really counted. I'll never forget her running down that stupid life-sized pink bunny that was trying to kidnap me or her sticking up for me when I went after Uncle Mo. Right now, after my royal screw-up with Joe, I need some of that reassurance. Just as I was about to open up to Ma, Grandma Mazur shouted out,

"Hey would you get a load of this, Joseph's on TV with that fancy blonde lawyer."

Great, so much for a heart to heart; now I'll have to answer more questions about why Joe hasn't been around lately. I haven't told anyone about our fight. After all, it isn't as if Joe broke up with me; he only told me to leave his house. He just needs a little time to cool off; at least, that's what I keep telling myself. Unfortunately I haven't heard from him in almost two weeks. He isn't returning my phone calls, he's never home if I stop by and he's always out when I'm at the station.

"I thought she went back to New York?" Valerie said suspiciously.

"Sentencing on the Martell conviction started today." Albert replied. "I saw them at the courthouse this morning."

"Is that why Joseph isn't here tonight?" Ma questioned.

"Well that, and he's working the Granny Killer investigation and it takes up a lot of his time." I answered, side stepping the issue of our argument until another time.

"I don't know. She keeps saying 'Detective Morelli this and Detective Morelli that'. And she keeps putting her hand on his arm. I think she's hot for his bod." Grandma piped in.

Joe charmed the reporters with his quick, witty answers and confident, easygoing demeanor. When asked about the Granny Killer case, he didn't miss a beat. His cop face slid into place while he, in no uncertain terms, assured the people of Trenton that the police were following up on several leads and the killer would be brought to justice. Joe's tone was serious, confident and reassuring. There was no doubt in my mind that Joe would catch this guy.

Watching Joe made me remember why I fell in love with him; it also made me sad thinking I may have lost him. My father studied my reaction for a moment, watched the rest of the interview, locked eyes with my mother and griped, "When are we gonna eat?"

"Can I sit in Joe's chair?" Mary Alice asked.

"Of course you can Dear, but only until he's able to join us again" my mother answered.

Funny, the seat beside me had so naturally become Joe's, not only in my family's eyes but also mine. Hopefully Mary Alice won't be sitting there very long.

Grandma, whose hair is a lovely shade of pale pink this week, filled us in on all the latest gossip from Clara's Beauty Parlor. I was relieved not to hear anything about Joe or me. The most interesting news she had was that Gina Catalano had moved back to the Burg. Gina, who graduated the year between Valerie and me, went away to college and married some rich, hot shot doctor. Rumors are flying about why she's back home. Val, of course, had to mention that during high school Gina was one of the girls who spent a lot of time in the backseat of Joe's car.

The rest of the evening was spent discussing Angie winning the class spelling bee and listening to Mary Alice's poem about what's it like growing up as a horse. It's Valerie and me all over again.

After dessert I thanked Ma for the leftovers before leaving. I drove by Joe's house on my way home. His driveway was empty and there were no signs of life in the house. Deciding I wasn't going to miss Joe this time, I made a u-turn at the end of the block and parked across the street about three houses down. I must have fallen asleep because the next thing I knew someone was opening the passenger door.

"What the hell are you doing out here? Joe asked climbing in next to me. "And why don't you have your doors locked?"

"I'm waiting for you." I answered somewhat groggily. "I want to talk and you're never home when I come by so I thought I'd wait. How did you know I was out here?"

"Mrs. Brodsky and Mrs. Friolli called the police, concerned about a suspicious vehicle parked outside their homes. Dispatch ran the plates then called me." Joe explained tightly.

"Wow! Those two are really paranoid; I haven't been out here that long." I was still trying to wake up and missed Joe's edgy tone.

"Steph there's a guy running around Trenton killing old ladies. They're not paranoid, they're scared. Besides you've been parked out here for almost two hours." By now anger had replaced the irritation in Joe's tone. "What were you thinking?"

"I told you. I want to talk to you; I really want to explain about the other night." I said hopefully.

"I don't think I can handle anymore of your explanations. And truthfully there is absolutely nothing you can say that will make what happened all right." Joe wasn't looking at me as he spoke; he was staring straight ahead.

"I know you're mad I slept with Ranger…" before I could finish Joe interrupted,

"You really don't get it do you? No, I don't like it but what you did while we were apart is your business, not mine. What pisses me off is that it didn't end there did it? You just kept on doing whatever the hell you wanted with Manoso!"

Joe took a breath; finally turning to look at me. "I thought we had something Stephanie, just you and me. Hell if I'd known fooling around on the side was part of the deal I would have said yes to a few very fine offers!"

"I knew it! Terri Gillman is still after you!" I accused a little louder than I meant to.

"This isn't about Terri! Damnit Steph! Do you hear yourself? You start yelling at me when you simply think about me with another woman; yet I'm supposed to calmly sit here and be understanding. You're a real piece of work." Joe shook his head in disgust. "Answer me one question, truthfully if you even know how. Does the reason you've had such a hard time telling me you love me have anything to do with your feeling for Manoso?"

Before I could answer Joe shook his head again and shrugged

"You know what, it doesn't matter. I don't care. I'm not going to keep doing this; I can't. You move in, you move out, you want me to commit but then you can't. I'm done. You're on your own. Feel free to go do your thing with Manoso, you two deserve each other. I just wanna get past this and move on with my life; a life where I don't have to deal with you."

With those final words Joe opened the door, stood up out of the car and walked to his house. I was so stunned I didn't even try to stop him. Left behind in the car, I tried to make sense out of what just happened. Joe's harsh words hurt because I knew they were true. If the tables were turned I'd be pitching a fit so loud the whole Burg could hear me.

I sat there for a while trying to convince myself Joe couldn't be serious about what he'd said, that he was just angry and hurt. I mean he did ask me why my doors weren't locked so I know he still worries about me. I have to believe he'll come around, because I can't believe we are really over. Finally, I decided I would wait for him to cool down and then try again.


End file.
